Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security

Jordan, Intelligence and Security

The primary Jordanian intelligence agency is the
Dairat al Mukhabarat
, or General Intelligence Department (GID). The GID is charged with the
collection and analysis of intelligence information. GID officials brief
the government on matters of national security and coordinate efforts with
the military and national law enforcement agencies. The focus of GID
operations is the collection of intelligence pertaining to security issues
within the Middle East, including surveillance of paramilitary groups and
guarding borders to prevent an influx of refugees from the neighboring
area of Palestine. The GID also provides the government with regular
reports of the political climate of the nation and the surrounding region,
though the means by which this information is gathered remains secret.

Because the Jordanian intelligence community is consolidated into one
major agency, the GID maintains several special task forces devoted to
specialized areas of intelligence, including counter-intelligence and
communications surveillance. An anti-terrorism task force conducts
operations to gather information on organizations working in Jordan and
throughout the Middle East. The Jordanian government has aided
international anti-terrorism efforts following the September 11 terrorist
attacks on the United States. The government also employs GID staff

The car belonging to the wife of a senior anti-terrorism official in
Jordan was destroyed in a February 2002, explosion in response to
Jordan's support for the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism.

AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS

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to monitor the security of government information systems and personnel.
Security surveillance of the government also includes an anti-corruption
department to root-out incidences of government abuse. Economic,
industrial, scientific, and limited political espionage is also conducted
by GID forces.

During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Jordan was the only Arab country that
did not openly condemn the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. However, the
Jordanian government did not provide aid to the Iraqi government during
the war and tried to maintain diplomatic relations with both Israel and
the United States. Jordan opposed coalition military involvement in Iraq
again in 2003, but permitted United States and British forces to use
Jordan's airspace and bases for some operations. Jordan's
monarchy and government continues to walk a tightrope in Middle East
politics, signing a formal peace treaty with Israel in 1994 and fostering
favorable diplomatic relations with the West, even though the majority of
the nation's Arab population opposes both policies.